This invention relates to siphons and it is particularly concerned with siphonic apparatus for agricultural and/or horticultural use.
In irrigated areas it is customary to provide irrigation canals adjacent crop growing fields. Water is admitted to such canals from a source of supply such as another canal, river or dam and is lifted from the source of supply by pumps for distribution over the field. The pumping of water in this manner is costly and usually involves the use of power operated pumps to distribute water to the field. In large fields it is necessary to have a large number of pumping units spaced along the canal in order to effect adequate simultaneous irrigation of the whole field. The placement and removal of pumping units along the canal is time consuming in terms of labor and the cost of such pumping units in order to draw sufficient supplies of water is high. Furthermore, it is essential that the areas to be irrigated be provided with an embankment adjacent the water supply and above the water level. This embankment constitutes a carriageway whereby vehicles can move along the embankment for the purpose of placing the pumping units in location. Most embankments are relatively narrow and when the pumping units are placed in position it has in many cases proved difficult if not impossible to drive a vehicle therealong without moving the pumping units. In consequence, there has been a long felt need for mobile inexpensive means of irrigating fields from a source of water which is so constructed that a vehicle can conveniently proceed along an embankment without moving the pumping means.